Under_The_Whispering_Door_by_TJ_Klune

“Because you know we can do it,” Mei said. “Or, at the very least, we can
try.”
“And because it’s the right thing to do,” Wallace said, and he’d never
believed anything more. How simple. How terrifyingly profound. “The only
reason the Husks chose as they did was out of fear of the unknown.”
The Manager nodded slowly. “Say I entertain this. Say, for a moment, that
I consider your offer. What will you give me in return?”
And Wallace said, “I’ll let go.”
Hugo was alarmed. “Wallace, no, don’t—”
“How strange you are,” the Manager said. “You’ve changed. What caused
it? Do you even know?”
Wallace laughed, wild and bright. “You, I think. Or at least you’re part of
it, even if nothing you do makes any sense. But that’s par for the course with
existing, because life is senseless, and on the off chance we find something
that does make sense, we hold onto it as tightly as we can. I found myself
because of you. But you pale in comparison to Mei. To Nelson. Apollo.” He
swallowed thickly. “And Hugo.”
Hugo stood abruptly, chair tipping over and falling to the floor. “No,” he
said harshly. “I won’t let you do this. I won’t—”
“It’s not about me,” Wallace told him. “Or us. You’ve given me more than
I could ever ask for. Hugo, can’t you see? I am who I am because you
showed me the way. You refused to give up on me. Which is how I know
you’ll help all those who come after me and need you as much as I did.”
“Fine,” the Manager said suddenly, and all the air was sucked from the
room. “You have a deal. I’ll bring the Husks here, one by one. If he heals
them, then so be it. If he doesn’t, they stay as they are. It’ll be a lot of work
either way, and I don’t know how successful it’ll be.”
Wallace’s grip on the table grew slack as his jaw dropped. “You mean
it?”
“Yes,” the Manager said. “My word is my bond.”
“Why?” Wallace asked. The Manager had agreed quicker than Wallace
expected. There had to be more.
The Manager shrugged. “Curiosity. I want to see what happens. With
order comes routine. Routine can lead to boredom, especially when it goes
on forever. This is … different.” His eyes narrowed as he looked at Hugo
and Mei. “Don’t mistake my acquiescence for a sign of complacency.”